The Old Mech and the Mechling
by Prime627
Summary: Kup is an old mech with a lot of knowledge, but he finds himself clueless with the arrival of an orphan. Will an old dog learn some new tricks? Or will he give up the task to someone "more capable".
1. Chapter 1

Kup was old. He knew that. He had been through eons, fought in battles that erupted across Cybertron, took on odd jobs and important jobs, and now he was ready to rest. He padded around the towns, shuffling his pedes and chewing a cy-gar. He would stop femmes and help them over puddles, stop mechs that were annoying and disgracing femmes and give them a taste of his fist, and he would tip his helm in respect to pretty, old femmes who would blush and shuffle a little faster along, glancing back at him. Yes, he was old, respected, and well-known through the whole upper portion of Cybertron, including Iacon, Burning Treads, Vos, and Tyger Pax. He had seen a lot of things, and he had believed himself to be understanding of everything, save one thing: he had not created sparklings.

He didn't know what to do with them. He had friends that had sparklings, and they would deposite their little things in his lap, and he would be clueless, especially when they looked up at him and started wailing. He simply had no use for the squirmy little things every femme seemed to adore and every mech seemed to desire above all else. So he did not have sparklings, and he vowed not to have any. Since he had never been mated, it was easy to not have sparklings.

But one day, as he shuffled around Iacon, watching the refugees from Kaon step off trains and look around the silvery city he called home and shuffle off, the mech watched as one mechling was walking around, clueless. Kup sniffed loudly, and the mechling turned his helm to see him, but Kup was walking away, shaking his helm. Sure, sparklings were all everyone ever wanted, but to some mechs and femmes, they were nothing. Disposable. It made Kup thankful he never had sparklings.

As he walked the streets, he became aware of the little pedsteps of a tiny being shadowing his own. He stopped, and the sound of tiny peds clicking off metal stopped. He chomped his cy-gar thoughtfully, then started walking again. The pedsteps started again, and a frown brought his lips down. He turned, and stared the little mechling down.

It was a red and orange thing with huge blue optics and a splash of yellow on his chest. He was trembling from the effort of carting a large, heavy-looking bag of things...what was he carting around? Armor, perhaps? But whatever it was, it didn't matter to Kup.

"Shoo," he rasped, moving his servo in a dismissive way. "Go along now."

The mechling pouted and moved back a few steps, his helm lowering and his shaky arms dropping the bag. He looked around, and Kup started off again, but the pedsteps continued and he sighed. He stopped again and shooed the sparkling off, but the little mechling didn't move until Kup took a step towards him. The mechling ran back several paces, shielding his helm and crouching down defensively, but Kup didn't raise an arm or even twitch a digit. He nodded and turned around, nibbling the end of his cy-gar and huffing when the pedsteps clicked on behind him. He sighed and stopped once more, but this time the mechling didn't stop right away. He walked right up to the old mech and tipped his helm back, watching him with sad blue optics for a long moment.

Something stirred in Kup's spark chamber as he watched, and he thought for a moment about what would happen to this little mechling. It was getting colder, and soon Iacon would frost over for several months. Old Cybertronians and young ones were most likely to fall ill during this time, and any kind of warmth would be welcome. Kup thought, very briefly, of how this young one would suffer in the allies and how he would have to beg for credits, for blankets, for Energon...while Kup was bundled up all snug and warm in his little home built for two.

But he shook his servos at him. "Bah, get along, child...I don't have time for sparks like you." He nodded once, as if confirming something, then turned around and continued walking, his helm down. He didn't stop until he reached his base, and as he fumbled for his keys, something warm pressed against his leg as a stiff, cold wind rose up. He looked down and there was the mechling, shivering and blue-lipped. He opened his mouth to say something, but whatever he had been about to say was silenced by a fierce, howling wind. The little sparkling shuffled closer, pressing almost insistently against Kup's leg. The old mech sighed and shrugged a shoulder as he unlocked his base and stepped inside, holding the door open for the little sparkling.

"Just one day, yes?" He frowned at him. The sparkling was tiny, skinny, but surprisingly strong. He tipped his helm as he studied him from helm to pedtip, and with a start, he realized the sparkling was doing the same thing to him. He snorted and walked to a cabinet, opening it to display rows upon rows of different kinds of Energon: solid, liquid, jellied, candied, strips, ropes, canned...he turned back to ask the sparkling his preference when he saw the little thing slowly walk up and tip his helm back before staring at Kup. The mechling took several steps back and cringed, as if expecting a beating, but Kup knelt instead and offered the little thing a rope of the fuel. He smiled as wide as he could. The mechling crept closer, and Kup pressed the rope of Energon into his cold servos.

"While you refuel, we should warm you up, huh?" He shuffled the mechling into a blanket, wrapping him up and slipping mittens over his little servos. He slapped a cap down onto his helm and wrapped a scarf around his neck before sitting him down in front of a fire. He pulled up a chair with a mug of the warmed Energon and he sipped at it, watching his visitor slowly stop shivering and begin eating the rope. He smiled and closed his optics.

There was a rapping of knuckles on his door and Kup got up to answer it. Jazz and Prowl were waiting patiently, ruffled by the wind and shaking in their armor. "Come in, you young fools...come in, come in..."

Jazz slipped inside, dragging his friend in after him. "Sir, if it would be too much to ask, may we-" He had spotted the little mechling and he laughed. "Oh, Kup...he's a little young, don't you think?"

Kup snorted at the comment and he shook a scolding digit at him. "You know I am not interested...at all." But he grinned and wrapped his arm around Jazz's neck. "What'll you and your friend have, eh?"

"Oh, Kup, you spoil us," Jazz said as he twisted out of his friend's reach. "We'll have nothing. You just sit yourself down with your mug and your Energon, and we'll listen to your stories."

Jazz was a social bot, charged to learn about culture, history, and know more stories than any living bot on Cybertron, and to get there, he had to speak with Kup, who was older and wiser. Prowl was an officer, and while he had no business being in Kup's base, he still enjoyed the time spent with his friends during his free time.

Kup rubbed at his chin as he thought. He stamped his cy-gar out in a tray and he set in a chair, leaning back. "Mm..."

Prowl set down beside Jazz, his digits laced and set prettily in front of him. He was an elegant thing that Kup admired and he would often compliment the officer, but compliments scored you nothing with Prowl. He could just nod and wave his servo in a _go on_ kind of way. Jazz was less elegant, more easy-going, and fond of propping his pedes up on Kup's table. He did so even as Kup watched. The old mech had learned that telling Jazz to not do something had the same effect as complimenting Prowl, so he let the mech prop up his pedes, so long as they were clean.

While Kup thought, he gazed around the room, and he spotted the little mechling. He walked to him, prodded him to his pedes, and he pulled out a chair for him. The mechling, once seated, could barely look above the table, so Kup lifted him awkwardly and set a large, old book under him, which made things a little better.

"How about some urban legends?" Kup sat back down, leaning back in his chair as Jazz and Prowl nodded. He told as many as he could remember, all the while watching the mechling, whose optics were dimming and closing as he slumped forward and backward before jerking awake and looking around. But at long last, the tiny thing fell asleep and leaned his helm against the table, sleeping peacefully. Kup stopped midstory and lifted the mechling.

"Time for you to go," he whispered. He waved at the two mechs dismissively. Jazz smiled and stood.

"Kup. I've told you a thousand times that you made a mistake not getting bonded. Now you have proof."

Kup waved them away, once again dismissive, and he walked to his berthroom. After laying down three out of four of his pillows and layering blankets over them, Kup was finally satisfied with the makeshift berth he had constructed, and he set the mechling down on them. He tucked him in and patted his back gently. "Good night," he said softly, and he walked out of the room, sitting down in front of the fire and reading the news on his datapad for a few more hours before he too sought out his berth. He fell asleep easily, but he couldn't say the same thing for the sparkling, who tossed and turned before climbing into the berth with the old mech and nuzzling up to his chest.

Sleeping still, Kup put an arm around the sparkling and secured him close. Both mechs slept easily.


	2. Chapter 2

Kup felt warm when he woke up. His optics fluttered open and he focused on the sleeping face of the sparkling he had somehow gotten, which was funny, because he left the sparkling in a makeshift berth. He poked it once, and it opened its optics, smiled, and yawned sweetly in the most adorable fashion a sparkling could do. When the mechling finished, he licked his lips, swallowed and laid his helm back down on Kup's pillow, but didn't fall asleep. He watched Kup with soft blue optics.

He pushed the little thing off the berth, making sure he landed on his pedes, and then he got up. He watched the little thing run off in the direction of the Energon and stand in front of the cabinet, waiting for Kup.

"Can you speak?" Kup opened the cabinet, pulling two cubes down. "Say 'Energon, please'."

But the little sparkling merely reached up, curling and uncurling his servos in a needy way known only to sparklings and some younglings. He wanted the Energon, but either inexperience or trauma strangled the words to get it. Kup put the cube in his servos and touched his helm.

"I'm going to find someone to take you to a family."

The sparkling sipped greedily out of the cube, his servos fastened around it as his helm tipped further and further back to dump every last drop down into his tank. Kup watched possessively, trying not to imagine the squeaking and fussing the sparkling would cause.

"Because that's what you deserve."

The mechling set the cube down on the floor, licked his lips, and patted his servos on his tummy, whiping them clean on his armor before looking up at Kup and smiling big.

"Someone to look after you."

He took a few unsteady, hesitant steps to Kup before embracing his leg. He squeezed tight and Kup took a step back, but the mechling clung on.

"Alright, hot rod," he grumbled as he knelt, shooing him off his shin and picking up the cube off the floor. He set both empty cubes in the sink to be washed before being put in the recycling.

The mechling laughed and fell onto his aft, pawing at his optics and yawning again. Kup's spark gave way. "Alright, alright, come here." He opened his arms and the sparkling ran to him, jumping enthusiastically into his arms and curling up on his chest. "I'm going to take you on a stroll as I think about what to do with you, because you are _not_ staying. Do you hear me?"

His reply was a little hiccup and he laughed, setting him down and tilting his helm. "It'll be cold out. Let's get you bundled up tight and then we'll go see what Astrotrain's schedule is."

Astrotrain was the head train. Everyone below him looked up to him, and he took most routes all over Cybertron, _except_ in the winter months, where the tracks were frosted and slippery. Heated rails were being tested, but Kup didn't think he'd ever see those in his lifetime. Scientists were more interested in places outside their solar system and shrugged their shoulders at real-life.

Once Kup was satisfied with the little bundle of scarves, hats, and old coats standing in front of him, he nodded and opened the door, escorting the mechling out, who charged out and stared down at the frosty sidewalk. He ran his mitten-covered servos over the cold metal and squeaked in delight when the frost lifted off onto his mittens. He showed Kup, but the old mech was already walking ahead of him. He ducked his helm and ran forward after him, surprising the old mech by pushing his mittened servo into the larger servo dangling just in reach.

Kup glanced down at him, smiled, and continued walking, greeting old and new friends as he went to the train station. A quick glance in the window confirmed that Astrotrain was running the counter, a not-good sign. But he smiled and tossed a salute anyway.

"Hello, hello," Kup rasped. He knelt, lifted the sparkling, and set him down on the counter. "He needs a ticket to the nearest orphanage."

Iacon was a great city, and it had pretty much everything: Post offices, airports, train stations, libraries, the Hall, the Thirteen Prime tribute...but no orphanage. In fact, the closest one was a stone-throw from Vos.

Astrotrain looked the buddle of protective gear up and down, chuckled gently, and lifted the hat off the sparkling's helm. The little mechling squealed in delight.

"Cute thing," he said as he flipped through the records. "Startrack is taking a good long cruise to Kaon, and is hitting Vos on the way back."

Kup frowned, and if he had snagged a cy-gar, he would have chewed the end. "Anything else? I'm not really interested in a three solar cycle trip here, Astrotrain."

But the big purple mech shook his helm. "And he's too young to send on his own. My guess is he's a few lunar cycles old."

"Fantastic," Kup muttered. He sighed and rubbed his helm. A small line was forming behind him, but he didn't care right now. He had more pressing matters than they did, he was willing to bet, and he was old. He always had that excuse to toss out. "I really don't want to keep him."

"Well, until the frost melts, I'm afraid you have him. He's cute." Astrotrain tickled under the little one's chin. "Tell ya what. If a slot opens up before the frost melts, I'll call ya. What's the little cub's name, eh?"

Kup watched the sparkling. Name? He hadn't thought of any names. He didn't expect to keep him long enough to need a name. "He didn't come with one."

That was somehow funny to Astrotrain. "Ah! None of them do. What have ya been calling the little thing, then? Kup Junior?"

"I've called him whatever comes to my mind, but..." He thought of all the little names he called him, then smiled. "I called him 'hot rod' once. He seemed to like that very much."

"There you have it. Hot Rod. Original. Unique. Can't say I've met any Hot Rods. Hot Shots, on the other servo..." He finished writing the note, and smiled at Kup. "Take care, you boys. I'll call ya if I hear anything."

Kup nodded and lifted the sparkling off the counter, setting him down on one hip. "Now what, huh? Can't get you somewhere to stay, can't get you anything 'cept my base and a name."

Hot Rod paddled his pedes and squeaked gently as Kup carried him, listening to him talk before he fell asleep against the old mech. Kup didn't notice right away, but when he did, he was made very much aware of his walking that made the little sparkling jerk and made his helm roll around. A femme stopped him and she gazed down at the little thing.

"Is he yours?" She smiled up at him.

"No. I'm just letting him stay with me for a bit," Kup purred. He moved the hat on the sparkling's helm so she could better see his face, and she smiled.

"He's really cute. Well, I won't keep you out in the cold any more. It was nice seeing you."

"And you as well, darling," Kup said as he watched her walk away. He went back to walking up and down his streets, and he looked down at Hot Rod, who was awake now and watching him with sleepy optics. "Well, hello."

He smiled once, yawned, and curled back into a ball. His optics gently closed and Kup held him closer as if he could protect him from everything and anything coming his way.

 **ooo**

Astrotrain frowned down at the note he had made for Kup and the little one he called Hot Rod. Kup came in often with femmes and mechs and he helped them get train rides to safer place, but never had he wanted to rid himself of a sparkling, and the way he sounded, it was as though he was going to keep the mech and not give it to a MedBay for the medics to fuss over, or the police station where Prowler and his mate Tracker worked for them to find a place for it to stay. Kup was old, frankly put. Kup was older than the caste system that was having a hard time catching traction in the Cybertronian society. Alpha Trion was young when Kup was pulled out of the Well, and that was saying something. The only thing younger than Alpha Trion in his office was the dust.

The mech tapped his desk, scowling down at the desk and sighing before he lifted a comm link and plugged it into his audio. He smiled as Prowler's voice floated through. "Hey, bud...yeah, I've got something you might be interested in. Well, it's about Kup..."

 **ooo**

Hot Rod stood between Kup's legs, holding onto both with his pedes on the old mech's as Kup walked stiff-legged around, warming Energon. The old mech laughed gently as he worked, looking down at the mechling periodically and he would grin from audio to audio before returning to work. Hot Rod smiled and laughed softly as he clung to the mech, enjoying this game.

Kup's helm shot up when there was a knock at the door and he shooed Hot Rod away from him, slowly walking towards the door. Hot Rod hid behind his leg, peeking out and up at the officer standing at Kup's door.

"Kup, right?" That was a stupid question. Prowler knew Kup. He was an old family friend. He had been around when Prowler and his mate were born, and he had been there when they had their first sparkling, Syrin. "May I come in? It's cold out here."

Kup stepped back and closed the door behind Prowler, holding Hot Rod close. "What can I do for you?"

"I've had some concerns about this pup here," Prowler said as he walked around. He caught sight of the pile of pillows and blankets and looked back at the mech. "How is he?"

"Wonderful," Kup said. "I'm keeping him until the frost dies, and then he'll be put in an orphanage."

Hot Rod hid his face in Kup's leg, and Prowler's optics didn't miss it. "I see, and you're not worried about him getting attached?"  
"Of course I am," Kup laughed. He stopped and looked down at the sparkling.

"Do you think you're ready for taking care of a sparkling as young as he?"

"No, but-"

"So why do you have him?" Prowler had his arms crossed. "If you give him over now, I'll take him to where he needs to go, before he gets attached to you. It'll be a clean cut, so to speak. Understand?"

Kup flinched and looked down at Hot Rod, who gazed at him with pleading optics, minutely shaking his helm. But Kup knew what was best for the sparkling and he knew what was best for himself...right?

He looked at Prowler and sighed. He looked down at the floor. And he nodded.


	3. Chapter 3

Kup sat in front of the police station still, even after he had been asked to leave twice. Hot Rod was inside, he knew, getting settled. He hated the way he had to leave the little sparkling, but he couldn't take care of him...not even Prowler had any faith in the old mech.

The owner of an orphanage was called, and she was escorted to the police station via Astrotrain, a rare thing he gives out to special mechs and femmes like Primes and Council members. Never to ordinary mechs and femmes. After all this time, Kup had just remained a friend to Astrotrain, and he figured that the mech had ratted him out. Why?

He looked up when the femme from the orphanage walked up. She left him on the steps, but when she came back out with the sleeping Hot Rod, Kup stopped her and touched the sparkling's helm.

She watched him coldly before continuing down the stairs. Kup stood there until it began to rain.

The rain was a blessing given by Primus, everyone said as Kup trudged through the puddles. The plates of Cybertron were warming, the snow was melting, trains would be running again...Kup startled at that and he stopped the loud-mouthed mech that was telling that to his carrying femmefriend. "Say that again."

"The trains are running tomorrow," the mech said. He smiled a little. "Why? Got someplace to be?"

"Yes," Kup rasped. "Immediately." And he released the mech and ran the rest of the way home. He hadn't ran as hard or as long in years, and so when he was finally home, he was huffing and puffing, but his comm to Astrotrain was clear. "Give me a ticket to the orphanage."

"To Vos?"

"If that's the closest one, Astrotrain," he growled. "Why did you do it?"

Astrotrain hesitated. "You are old, and I thought you wouldn't be able to keep up with the little one. I thought I was doing something good."

Kup kneaded his palm into his forehelm, tears collecting in his optics. "I survived wars, battles...I survived plagues. And you think I cannot handle a sparkling?" He laughed then, shaking his helm in disbelief. "That ticket I'm about to get better be half off."

"It's free. On the house. My treat," Astrotrain mumbled, and the link ended. Kup gathered what belongings he needed and he lifted several pillows for Hot Rod. And then he locked up his base and he walked to Astrotrain's business.

 **ooo**

Astrotrain had Blazetrail take Kup, his only passenger, to Vos, the Seeker city. Kup sat wherever he wanted, took up as much room as he wanted, and he could stand if he so wanted, but he was more concerned about Hot Rod. They would be separated for three to four days. Would Hot Rod accept him? Or will he refuse to look him in the optic?

 **ooo**

Hot Rod didn't understand why he had been put on the train in the first place, and it didn't make any sense to him why he had been taken away from that old mech who cared for him so well. The femme he was with now was silent as they rode the train "to the city", which made the little mechling frown more. Wasn't he already in a city?

"Why don't you talk? Don't you know how? You're how old and you don't know how to talk?" She lifted his helm, turned it this way and that as she examined him. Hot Rod pulled his helm away from her and stared out the window. "Act your own age. No one will baby you where you're going."

Hot Rod bit his glossa, curling into a ball. He didn't like this femme. He liked the blue and black femme the officer took him to. She was warm and nice, but he still liked the old mech best, no matter how many treats the femme gave him, no matter how nice the femme he was with now turned out to be. He wanted the old mech.

He must have dozed off, because the femme was jerking him to his pedes and making him stand. He walked off the train and found himself staring up at the largest mech he had ever seen with huge wings and long claws. He greeted the femme with a nod, and then the sparkling switched possessions.

The mech carried him, one servo under him, the other keeping him from falling forward. The mech spoke gently to him. "I hear you're a quiet thing. All well. You'll learn. I'll even teach you. Here." He stopped in front of a large building. "Welcome home, kiddo." He set him down and held his servo between two long claws, leading him inside and smiling at the dozen sparklings that rushed to him. "Easy now, easy..."

Hot Rod had never seen so many sparklings. They were all winged and larger than he, and he whimpered. He ducked behind the large mech and clung to his leg as the mech walked through the main room and into a large room full of cots. He set Hot Rod down onto one while he spoke.

"You stay here until someone comes and adopts you. Meanwhile, breakfast is whenver you get up, and lunch is whenever you want it, but dinner is something you must attend. The time is yours between those three things, unless someone comes to look at you." The Seeker mech smiled and touched his helm. "I hope you like it here, Hot Rod..."

Hot Rod leaned into his servo, smiled once, and then he hopped down from the cot. He walked to a giant chalkboard and he frowned at the runes written there.

"That's the behavior board. If you do something good, I'll give you a star, and if you get enough stars, you get a special treat: a walk around Vos and lunch at whatever restaurant of your choice." The mech stroked Hot Rod's helm. "Here. Let me add your name..."

The mech lifted a piece of chalk and wrote in Hot Rod's name under another one. When Hot Rod frowned, he held his digit under the name he just wrote. "That says your name: _Hot Rod_." The mechling still looked confused, so the mech lifted him up and carried him to the classroom where Seekerlings had already gathered, drawing, writing, and playing. He set the little mechling down on at a table and he lifted a pen and set a paper down in front of him. He drew the Cybertronian alphabet on the paper. He taught it to Hot Rod, who was slowly getting a grasp on it until he could write short sentences, but he still hadn't said a word.

The Seeker mech asked him who had taken care of him until now, and Hot Rod wrote _old mech_. He touched the letters with his digittips, looking up at him with pleading optics. The Seeker mech was curious, like all Seekers are, and he wanted to know more, but Hot Rod dropped the pen and bolted.

Instead of chasing the little thing down, the mech folded the paper and tucked it away for later reference.


	4. Chapter 4

Kup stood at the gates to Vos, two femme guards at their posts, regarding him. They were waiting for his clearance to come up. Astrotrain was allowed to walk in and talk to the head guard, and Kup had to stay behind. The guards watched him closely. Grounders were not appreciated in Vos. Grounders brought pain, mistrust, diseases...the Seekers weren't keen to trust as it is. They didn't need the grounders' help.

As Kup watched, one of the guards turned her helm to watch a Seeker mother walk by with her trine, and he saw wounds on her helm and face. Her optic was damaged. He looked to the other guard and saw that there were identical wounds on the opposite side of her face, and the optic on that side was also damaged. He frowned a little. He had been in wars before, and at one point he had fought one is Vos, Seekers against Grounders. Seekerlings, once found, were killed. They lined them up and shot the middle one first, then the one to its right if it cried, and the last one only if it cried. The trick was that the guns the Grounders had were scattershot, and so when the middle one was shot, the two Seekerlings flanking him or her would also get pelletted, and even if they just wailed from getting struck, they were shot down as well.

These two guards must have been tough babies. As Astrotrain walked to the gate, nodding his helm for Kup to step through, he waved the guards closer. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I'm sorry you had to go through that, and I'm glad to see that you two are well and strong." He smiled a little, moving his cy-gar to the other side of his mouth. He watched their optics dim, and the one sister lowered her wings while the other glared at him. "I'll be interested to hear your stories."

They remained silent. Astrotrain smiled. "They're mute, Kup. Haven't said a word since they were found. Their names are Runes and Simbles, but no one knows which is which, because they'll never tell us."

Kup scoffed and he looked between the femmes. "They can still nod." As he said that, the femme that lowered her wings let them rise and she nodded, pointing to her chest. "Oh, you want me to ask you your name. Okay." He took his cy-gar into his digits and he smiled slightly. "Simbles."

She made a face, pointing to her sister, who smirked.

"That's a pretty name. Which means you're Runes." The femme nodded and Kup looked at Astrotrain. "And why didn't anyone come up with a way to talk to them sooner?"

"Because they were born in a time where disabled and wounded mechs and femmes were treated like animals. They just let anyone call them anything and won't stand up for themselves, but they have breaking points. They're Seekers, after all."

"I'm not much into stereotypes," Kup said as he pushed by Astrotrain. "But I figure you are because you thought I couldn't take care of a sparkling."

Astrotrain winced as he walked behind the mech. "Do you want me to wait in the train station?"

"Oh, I don't know." Kup stopped to look at him, putting his cy-gar in his mouth and biting down on the end for a moment. "If you think I can't find the orphanage or won't be able to walk there, you can tag along."

Astrotrain growled as he turned on his heel and he walked away. The guards let him through.

Kup smirked at the sight in front of him: Seekerlings running around their carriers, mechs tipping their helms to femmes, femmes greeting mechs...Kup liked it here already. He walked up to a dark-armored femme with a brightly colored trine. He knew that some femme Seekers were rich enough that they could shove their trines onto another femme, but he couldn't tell if he was talking to a nanny or an actual carrier, not that it mattered. "I'm looking for the orphanage."

She only blinked once, but obviously relaxed when the Seekerlings began to play around Kup's legs. "Just down the street. Can't miss it. Big old place."

He smiled and began to walk, but there was someone still clinging to his leg. He looked down and pulled a red, white, and blue Seekerling mech off his armor. "Eh. Hello, little one."

The Seekerling sported brilliant red optics Kup found intriguing. The femme turned around and took the sparkling back. "Sorry about that...they're Princes and they've been cooped up too long. I'm taking them around the city."

"Mm. All is well. I'm going to pick up a sparkling of my own."

She set the Prince down and looked up at him. "May I ask why?"

Kup knelt and stroked the mechlings' helms. "To right some wrongs." He nodded at the femme as he stood up and he walked away again, heading in the indicated direction. She was right. A blind mech wouldn't have missed the orphanage. It was falling apart on the outside, but as soon as Kup was inside, his mind changed.

It was bright inside, clean and dry and warm, and it glowed orange. Seekerlings and Grounders ran together and played as though there was no difference between them. He found the mech in charge pretty easily. He was the biggest mech there.

And in his arms was little Hot Rod.

Kup walked to him. "Sir..."

The Seeker mech smiled and bowed his helm a little. "You must be Kup. I was alerted to your arrival." He shifted Hot Rod in his arms. "What may I do for you?"

Hot Rod was squirming, reaching for Kup and looking at him with pleading optics. Kup didn't take his own optics away from his face. "I've come for him, actually."

The Seeker mech's optics went wide. "Are _you_ the old mech? He has not said a word to me, but he has written and drawn some things, and I-"

"Written?" Kup frowned. Hot Rod finally settled as soon as the Seeker mech set the little thing in Kup's arms. "He writes?"

"Well, sort of. I taught him how, but all he can manage is three to two words, as you can imagine. He's a very smart mechling, very kind. But I trust you know that. If I may ask, why did you give him up in the first place?"

Hot Rod's optics went to Kup then, and Kup had a small thought that _he doesn't understand what I'm saying_ , but then Kup had a bigger thought. Sparklings comprehend more than we give them credit for.

"For a long time, I thought I wasn't good enough. I was old, couldn't possibly be equiped for the task of raising someone so young. But then I found that it doesn't matter what age I am. Primus sent this little mechling to my district of Iacon, not someone else's. He intended for me to find the mechling, and I think that Primus has bigger things planned for me. But not everyone thinks so, especially not Astrotrain or Prowler. No, they think that I am too old, unfit...they don't think I could ever be good for this sparkling. But they're wrong. I'll prove them wrong. That's why I came back for him. I've got bots to prove wrong, including myself."

The Seeker mech smiled and nodded. "Let me get a few legal documents ready and then he'll be yours to take home."

 **ooo**

 _ **One million years later...**_

Kup rolled over and found Hot Rod laying beside him. The young mech seemed to have grown over night, and as Kup sat up, he thought that his body seemed to have aged considerably. Everything groaned as he hauled himself out of bed. His creaking woke Hot Rod, who jumped up and helped him to his pedes.

"Easy now, Kup."

"Oh, get your grubby paws off me and warm my Energon." Kup swatted him away, scowling when Hot Rod laughed and nodded.

"If you're sure I can do it by myself."

"You better. Took you long enough to learn." Kup opened a cabinet and found a small tub of lubricant for his joints. He applied it to his digits first, then his elbows and shoulders, then his knees and ankles...before long, he felt young(er). He walked into the kitchen and watched Hot Rod work from the doorway.

Kup couldn't believe this was the same orphan he adopted. He had grown several feet and had learned his voice with the help of a mech his age and Kup's friends Jazz and Prowl. Which reminded Kup of his appointment he had this afternoon. He grunted as he shuffled into the room.

"You've burned it." He stared down at the perfect blue Energon. He sipped it. Perfect temperature. "It's scalding my glossa. Whatcha tryin' to do?"

Hot Rod laughed and shook his helm. This game had gone on for years, Kup getting older and Hot Rod getting a little older a little slower, Kup always finding things to complain about, Hot Rod finding ways to help his friend... "When is Prowler stopping by?"

"Better be soon," Kup grumbled into his Energon. Frag that kid for doing such a good job. He was really running out of things to fuss about. "I ain't getting younger."

"Kup, my instructor told me 'ain't' isn't a word."

Kup set his mug down and fixed him with a glare. "I said it, didn't I?"

They stared at each other for a long time before Kup's hard-set face melted into a grin and he laughed while Hot Rod sat down with his own mug. "Ain't a word, huh?"

"Not even slightly, you old mech."

They were once again interrupted by the sound of Prowler's knuckles on Kup's door and this time, Hot Rod jumped up to answer it. Kup regained his sour face.

Prowler held the tiniest infant in his arms that Kup had ever seen. Prowler was getting along in age as well, only a few pede steps behind Kup. He was beginning to creak, and his spark was beginning to break down. The old mech (it gave Kup such a joy to think that about Prowler) gave a weary smile. "Thanks again for watching him for me."

"Why, Prowler. I thought you said old mechs couldn't have sparklings. Here, stand there while I go call Astrotrain."

Prowler scowled. "I'd let you if some stupid old mech hadn't have proved me wrong," he snapped, and the two old friends broke into grins. The infant giggled.

"Give 'im here," Kup ordered, holding out his arms. He accepted the sparkling, rocking it gently. He wasn't much younger than Hot Rod when Kup found him. "What's 'is name?"  
"Bluestreak. Tracker named him," Prowler added, as if that explained everything.

Kup scowled. "There's not a single speck of blue on him."

"Tracker named him," Prowler repeated. He was laughing.

"Tell Tracker she's gotta screw loose. Prowl probably did it to her. Can't believe the descent mech is going out with that pup."

"Jazz?"

"That's the brat."

"Well, he is," Prowler said as he looked at Hot Rod. "Look at you, all grown up. Tell me again what you were tryin' to do?"

Hot Rod smiled. "I want to be a soldier."

"And like frag you will," Kup said. "You've got it in yer blood."

Hot Rod rolled his optics playfully. "Kup thinks that because he adopted me, I inherieted his warrior spirit."

Kup shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe that new, accented Perceptor can help ye prove I'm wrong, or you can do it the easy way."

"And what's that, Kup?" Prowler asked.

"Agree wit me."

The room burst into warm, laughter.


End file.
